Štefan Banič
Štefan Banič | |
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| Born | November 23, 1870 |
| Died | January 2, 1941 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | Slovak |
| Known for | Parachute |
Štefan Banič (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈʃcɛfan ˈbaɲɪtʃ]) (23 November 1870 – 2 January 1941) was a Slovak inventor who patented an early parachute design.[1]
Born in Neštich (Hungarian: Jánostelek), Austria-Hungary (now part of Smolenice, Slovakia), Banič immigrated to the United States and worked as a coal miner in Greenville, Pennsylvania. After witnessing a plane crash in 1912, Banič constructed a prototype of a parachute in 1913 and was granted US patent, No. 1,108,484.[2]
The design which was radically different from others - it was a kind of umbrella attached to the body - but it is sometimes claimed that he successfully tested it in Washington, D.C. jumping first from a 15-storey building and subsequently from an airplane in 1914.[3][4] He donated his patent to the U.S. Army - but there is no evidence that it was ever used.
After World War I Banič returned to Czechoslovakia where he helped to explore the Driny karst cave in the foothills of the Little Carpathian Mountains, close to his hometown of Smolenice.[4]
Legacy
In 1997, US skydiver Slavo Mulik, also born in Slovakia, created the Stefan Banic Parachute Foundation[5] which offers bronze, silver and gold medal awards to individuals involved in events, promotions and/or celebrations of skydiving, in memory of Banic.[6]
In 2006, Slovak military paratroopers installed a memorial plaque at his birthplace in Smolenice.[7]
References
- ^ "Famous Slovaks - Stefan Banic". Heartofeurope.co.uk. 2009. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ "Patent US1108484 - Parachute". Google Patents. Google.com.au. 1914-06-03. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ "100 years ago Banic received a patent for his parachute" ("Pred 100 rokmi získal Štefan Banič patent na svoj padák"), 24.08.2014, cas.sk (Slovak)
- ^ a b "Štefan Banič, Konštruktér, vynálezca-(Stefan Banic, Designer, Inventor)" (in Slovak). Slovenská akadémia vied, obituary. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ^ "Radoslav "Slavo" Mulik, obituary
- ^ "11th annual Banic Memorial Boogie set", June 27, 2002
- ^ "Banic: The inventor of the parachute", osobnosti.sk (Slovak)
External links
- US1108484 Parachute patent
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